The melanoma and sarcoma surgery service comprises two multidisciplinary teams — the melanoma team and the sarcoma team — that provide care for patients with cancers or potential cancers of the skin and soft tissue. Our soft tissue specialist serves as team leader of both, and directs the preoperative evaluation, definitive operative treatment, and long-term postoperative care of patients.
Our melanoma and sarcoma surgery service specializes in the treatment of melanoma, sarcoma, and locally advanced abdominal tumors. Stony Brook University Hospital is the only hospital in Suffolk County to offer heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for abdominal tumors, and limb infusion for melanoma.
Long-term treatment plans are developed in a multidisciplinary setting,
including physicians, surgery nurse specialists, and support staff.
Using a fully integrated multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of cancer, our melanoma and sarcoma surgery service works closely with Stony Brook's radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, gynecological oncologists, and pathologists to provide the most up-to-date care.
Stony Brook participates in several national clinical trials, and our participation allows us to use the latest in therapeutic advances for the care of our patients. While clinical trials are not for everyone, the availability of these trials serves as a hallmark of our ability to offer leading-edge treatment. For many patients, this is the only opportunity available in Suffolk County to benefit from such studies.
In addition to overseeing the day-to-day care of patients, the melanoma team is actively involved in community education and skin cancer prevention. Every May, which is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, the team hosts a free skin cancer screening event (call 631-444-4000 for more information about this screening), and also spends several days in local high schools educating young adults on the dangers of sun exposure and tanning.
As a core service of the Stony Brook Cancer Center, our melanoma and sarcoma surgery service is committed to providing the most sophisticated, compassionate, and timely patient care.